Details of Disappearance

Shields was last seen at her grandparents' home in the 1300 block of Pearl Street, near Indiana Street, in Graham, Texas at 9:30 p.m. on December 10, 2011.

At 12:38 a.m. someone accessed her Facebook page, and her cellular phone was used to make a call from the residence at 2:30 a.m. She has never been heard from again and her phone was left behind at her grandparents' house, along with her wallet, identification, purse, clothing and other personal belongings. She also left a one-year-old son.

Shields has no history of mental illness or substance abuse problems. She didn't own a car or have any other mode of transportation. She was due to start a job the day after she was last seen.

Authorities could find no signs of forced entry to her grandparents' home, but the back door was left unlocked. The neighbors heard nothing suspicious that night, and the family's two dogs didn't bark. Her family reported her missing on December 15.

In February 2013, within a few days of each other, Jeremy Paul Thornburg and Lajuana Shunta Long were arrested and charged with Shields's murder. Photos of both of them are posted with this case summary.

Thornburg was the father of Shields's unborn child and had been a person of interest since the onset of the investigation. He had dated both Shields and Long. Long allegedly threatened Shields, and Thornburg was one of the last people to see Shields before she vanished. He believed she was seeing other men.

Long pleaded guilty in exchange for a 30-year sentence, and testified about Thornburg, saying he shot Candice to death and together they poured bleach over the body to destroy evidence. Investigators found the gun they believe Thornburg used, and there was a spot of Shields's blood on it. He was convicted in October 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.

Shields's body hasn't been recovered, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.